198 EXFERlMEyVAL FAKMH. 



64 VICTORIA, A. 1901 



to the appearance of the two fields, the Democrat looks quite green, healthy, and 

 apparently uninjured, but the Clawson appears wilted and not nearly so green. The 

 difference in favour of the less injured field was very noticeable. About Novenaber 

 8, I found no larvae in the fields; all had changed to flax-seeds. This fall has been 

 very remarkably free from early frost.' — JS?. H. Cowdry. 



'BeJmont (Middlesex Co.), Ont,, December 4. — Fall wheat has been considerably 

 injured in this section by Hessian Fly. Feeble wheat on poorly-prepared ground is 

 very badly injured, portions of it being entirely killed out. ilost of the wheat turned 

 yellow, more or less, during October, owing, I think, partly to the unseasonably warm 

 weather, causing rust to develope. Since receiving your letter, I have carefully 

 examined many fields of wheat, and am convinced that all the damage was not done 

 by Hessian Fly. Wheat that has a bulky vigorous growth projnises to give a fair crop 

 next year, as the stools have many comparatively sound and healthy shoots left ; after 

 feeding the fly, they had a lot of vitality and substance remaining, but badly nourished 

 wheat had little or nothing left after the flies had fed on them, and they are now dead, 

 or nearly so. The summer brood did considerable damage here, both to wheat and 

 barley. I am satisfied that the fly cut me short 100 bushels on 27 acres. Heavy crops 

 of wheat were hardly touched by the fly ; but, where the wheat was winter-killed, or 

 otherwise weakened and thin, it did a lot of damage Many farmers li Id off their 

 sowing this year to escape the fly, but this, I think, is a mistake. Late wheat will be 

 weak and more liable to winter-kill, and for this reason will fall a more easy prey to 

 the summer brood next year. I believe that if wheat is sown at the riglit time on 

 rich and well-prepared land, it will get a vigorous, bulky growth in the fall, and will 

 thus be able to withstand the attacks of both broods of the fly.' — H. Pettit. 



' Ferguson (Middlesex Co.), Ont., October 30. — Since reading Dr. Saunders's 

 article in the Entomological Society of Ontario report for 1882, I have found that the 

 suggestions there made concerning treatment for the Hessian 1^'ly work very well. 

 However, I have followed them again to the letter this year, working the land with 

 the twin plough immediately after the crop was taken off, then ploughing after, and 

 sowing from 17th to 24th September, and have now under wheat, ground that was 

 previously sown to clover, barley, oats, and a small piece of wheat. The result in all 

 cases is the same, the plants are full of Hessian Fly in all stages, from the tiniest mite 

 to the flax seed state. I have also found another insect, a sort of buff colour, with legs 

 and a proboscis, with which it probes the plants, and any plants that I have seen 

 attacked are doomed. The Hessian Fly is so numerous this year that I have counted 

 as high as fifteen clustered in one stalk. Yesterday, my interest in this subject being 

 aroused. I inspected many fields which had been sown on or about August 31 up to 

 September 29, and I find them all thoroughly infested, and to such an extent that I 

 think the most advisable course will be to plough them under and sow a spring crop. 

 You could do agriculturists a signal service by collecting evidence of the extent or aroa 

 covered by this pest, and by giving the results publicly in the press, describing the 

 habits of the fly, and particularly how often reproduction takes place. By doing this, 

 farmers would be in a position to judge of the advisability of leaving their fields, or 

 of ploughing up and rescwing with oats or some other spring crop. It would also give 

 them an opportunity to provide seed, which is at a late date, like spring ploughing, 

 for instance, both difficult to get and often dear.' — John C. Wallis. 



'Binbrook (Wentworth Co.), Ont., December 4. — T mail you to-day two samples 

 of fall wheat, one sown" on September 10, and the other September 13. They are both 

 of the same variety, Long Amber. This is a fair sample of the wheat in Wentworth 

 county.' — E. J. Duffy. 



The samples sent were found to be pretty badly infested with puparia of Hessian 

 Fly. In the first parcel of 22 plants, 3 of them were crowded with flax seeds, but 19 

 were uninjured. In the second parcel, 12 were infested and 11 uninjured. 



